Calif. cops 'failed to reveal misconduct' issues

Convictions at risk of unraveling because cops failed to reveal misconduct before testifying

By Jaxon Van Derbeken San Francisco Chronicle

SAN FRANCISCO — More than 80 San Francisco police officers have criminal histories or misconduct records that the Police Department withheld and prosecutors did not disclose to defense attorneys in cases in which officers testified, a failure that could put hundreds of felony convictions in jeopardy, The Chronicle has learned.

The potential fallout could be far more severe than that caused by the cocaine-skimming scandal at the San Francisco police drug lab, which prompted prosecutors to dismiss more than 600 narcotics cases, experts say.